"We accuse others to excuse ourselves.." - C.H. Spurgeon
Christian men do not make excuses, they take responsibility.
Romans 2:15-16
They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them 16 on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.
Sunday, June 9, 2019
Saturday, June 8, 2019
day no. 14,838: the lay of the land
1 Timothy 3:1
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
What the church needs more of is not vocational ministers. What it needs is more men aiming their life at eldership. Not that every one of them who aims at it should be granted access to it, but that more men should aim their existence at being qualified in character, competence and chemistry to be the kind of men who could if called upon fill the office.
This would result in more lay leaders. The church needs more men who want to be the kind of men who could be elders without also being the kind of men who pursue this primarily through vocational ministry.
The commonly held prescription is that if you desire to be an elder, you must desire to be a vocational minister. If you want to give your heart, soul, mind and hands to the service of the Lord, it follows that you must give up your day job in order to do so. This is patently false and a major cause of clerical confusion among God's people embracing their post as priests appointed by God in the spheres into which He has placed them.
The false paradigm asserts that those who take the Bible, church, Jesus and spiritual formation seriously ought to be employed in order to pursue those more. But this also assumes that the hoi polloi of Christian fodder are meant to grind and be ground up in order to sustain the ministry of the anointed who make ministry their business. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has called all His children to know Him and make Him known, that His disciples should be disciple makers.
The land will be blessed when the lay of the land again pursue God with all their hearts, all their souls, all their minds, and all their strengths from the comfort of their own homes, in the discomfort of their neighborhoods and the import of their regular, earthy vocations like ditch digging, lawn mowing, teaching, accounting, constructing, cog producing, etc...
The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
What the church needs more of is not vocational ministers. What it needs is more men aiming their life at eldership. Not that every one of them who aims at it should be granted access to it, but that more men should aim their existence at being qualified in character, competence and chemistry to be the kind of men who could if called upon fill the office.
This would result in more lay leaders. The church needs more men who want to be the kind of men who could be elders without also being the kind of men who pursue this primarily through vocational ministry.
The commonly held prescription is that if you desire to be an elder, you must desire to be a vocational minister. If you want to give your heart, soul, mind and hands to the service of the Lord, it follows that you must give up your day job in order to do so. This is patently false and a major cause of clerical confusion among God's people embracing their post as priests appointed by God in the spheres into which He has placed them.
The false paradigm asserts that those who take the Bible, church, Jesus and spiritual formation seriously ought to be employed in order to pursue those more. But this also assumes that the hoi polloi of Christian fodder are meant to grind and be ground up in order to sustain the ministry of the anointed who make ministry their business. Nothing could be further from the truth. God has called all His children to know Him and make Him known, that His disciples should be disciple makers.
The land will be blessed when the lay of the land again pursue God with all their hearts, all their souls, all their minds, and all their strengths from the comfort of their own homes, in the discomfort of their neighborhoods and the import of their regular, earthy vocations like ditch digging, lawn mowing, teaching, accounting, constructing, cog producing, etc...
Friday, June 7, 2019
day no. 14,837: what you call it matters
"Jesus called it a wheat field, not a tare field." - Bran Sauve'
Jesus taught us that the world is like a field where grows wheat and weeds (MT 13:24-30), but the field is still called a wheat field. Calling it that does not negate knowledge of tares or even imply that there is more wheat than tares on any given day per se, but it highlights a preference for the wheat. It confirms that the purpose of the field was to grow wheat. The gardener whose garden is overgrown with weeds still has a garden. The purpose of the field is wheat. The contents of the field may currently be mixed, but that does not change why it exists and that doesn't change how Jesus sees it. He is not ignorant of weeds, but more emphatically and importantly, He is not indifferent to the wheat.
Jesus taught us that the world is like a field where grows wheat and weeds (MT 13:24-30), but the field is still called a wheat field. Calling it that does not negate knowledge of tares or even imply that there is more wheat than tares on any given day per se, but it highlights a preference for the wheat. It confirms that the purpose of the field was to grow wheat. The gardener whose garden is overgrown with weeds still has a garden. The purpose of the field is wheat. The contents of the field may currently be mixed, but that does not change why it exists and that doesn't change how Jesus sees it. He is not ignorant of weeds, but more emphatically and importantly, He is not indifferent to the wheat.
Thursday, June 6, 2019
day no. 14,836: develop and deploy
"The church is not an audience to be entertained; it is an army to be empowered." - J.D. Greear, Gaining By Losing
A pastor's employment consists of developing and deployment.
A pastor's employment consists of developing and deployment.
Wednesday, June 5, 2019
day no. 14,835: when you go with the flow
"A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it." - G.K. Chesterton
Anyone can go with the flow. Only the alive can cut against it. The current only flows one direction. If you are drifting through life, there is only one direction to do that and spoiler alert: it isn't closer to God.
Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Anyone can go with the flow. Only the alive can cut against it. The current only flows one direction. If you are drifting through life, there is only one direction to do that and spoiler alert: it isn't closer to God.
Hebrews 2:1
Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.
Tuesday, June 4, 2019
day no. 14,834: a sanctuary or a snare?
Isaiah 8:14
And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
"How we treat God determines how we experience God, either as a sanctuary or a snare. Every one of us will experience God one way or the other." - Ray Ortlund, Jr.
And he will become a sanctuary and a stone of offense and a rock of stumbling to both houses of Israel, a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.
"How we treat God determines how we experience God, either as a sanctuary or a snare. Every one of us will experience God one way or the other." - Ray Ortlund, Jr.
Monday, June 3, 2019
day no. 14,833: antifragile, the art of embracing adversity
Men’s Ministry
Antifragility
November 2, 2018
BIG IDEAS: adversity is an opportunity for men to advance
GOSPEL: the world is better because Jesus embraced His appointed adversity
…
SCENARIO: FOOTBALL GAME ON DEFENSE
Limit the number of yards the other team gains
Stop them from gaining any yards
Gain field position for your team by pushing them back
BUT STRATEGY CANNOT BE "HOPE THEY DON'T PLAY OFFENSE"
b/c the other team is going to run their best plays
1 PETER 4:12
Do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you –
as though something strange were happening to you.
SO ADVERSITY IS A GIVEN, BUT OUR RESPONSE ISN'T
If you simply assume we will rise to the occasion, you probably won't
1 KINGS 20:11
Let not him who straps on his armor boast himself as he who takes it off.
⇒ the time for boasting is AFTER… not BEFORE
Q: SO IN THE MEANTIME, WHAT DO WE DO? WAIT AROUND?
NO! Prepare.
"the more you sweat in peace, the less you bleed in war"
THE TIME FOR PRODUCING BULLETS IS NOT WHEN YOU'RE UNDER FIRE
Ex: build walls, build emergency fund, study theology, date your wife
PROVERBS 24:10 If you faint in the day of adversity,
your strength is small.
1 – FRAGILE: everything is fine… until it isn't
CHARACTER: Achilles
RESULT: Adversity produces loss
2 – RESILIENT: everything is fine if I'm holding the line
CHARACTER: Phoenix
RESULT: Adversity can be endured without loss
3 – ANTIFRAGILE: I don't want just fine anymore
CHARACTER: Hydra
RESULT: Adversity produces gain
SO GIVEN THAT, WE SHOULD NOT ONLY EXPECT ADVERSITY,
BUT EMBRACE IT
JAMES 1:2-4
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,
3 for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
4 And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing.
AREAS OF APPLICATION:
FAITH
Fragile – false doctrine could lead you into denying or redefining faith
Resilient – false doctrine is defended against and faith survives intact
Antifragile – false doctrine leads to refined faith
FINANCES
Fragile – adversity leads to poverty
Resilient – adversity is absorbed
Antifragile – adversity leads to creativity
FAMILY/FRIENDS
Fragile – sin produces insecurity and weakness
Resilient – sin is survived w/ relationship in tact
Antifragile – sin produces greater strength and security
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:
Q: In what areas of my life am I fragile? (Faith, Finances, Family/Friends, etc…)
Q: In what areas of my life am I resilient? (not failing, but not thriving/growing)
Q: In what areas of my life am I antifragile? (stronger because of adversity)
Q: What battle plans do I have in place to deal with adversity?
Q: What battles is God calling me to in this season of life?
Q: What battles wear me out?
Q: What battles give me energy?
Q: Are there any battles I'm hoping someone else will fight for me?
Q: Are there battle plans I've discovered that I should be sharing with others?
Q: Are there any battles I'm fighting that require back-up?
Q: Do I know somebody that I can call upon for help?
Q: Am I somebody that someone else can call upon to help?
Q: What could I be doing now to make myself better equipped to help others?
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